I read an interesting article today, "On Being Useful: The Nature and Consequences of Psychological Research on Social Problems," by Caplan & Nelson. (available to read on Google Scholar) They argued that social policy is a reflection of "person-centered" characteristics vs. situational factors. This was written in 1973 and I am not sure that this is the case today...Nevertheless:
Caplan & Nelson argue that it is in the interest of "program administrators and professional change agents" to maintain "The Law of the Instrument." Meaning if you give a small boy a hammer, suddenly he discovers that everything needs hammering." This is applicable to all "experts" in all fields. Problems are formulated which require the skills and techniques of those that can supply them. So are change agents solving or creating problems that only they can solve?
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